Car-floor construction.



W. E. FOWLER, Sn.

CAR FLOOR CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1915.

Patented June 4, 1918.

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WILLIADII E. was; or c cass, tamo e s s o H FOWL R an COMPANY, .OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

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Specification of Letters Yatent.

Patented June a, 1918.

Application filed M25722, 1915. $eria1 No. 29,794.

To all whom it may concern and useful Improvements in Car-Floor Gonstructions, ofwhich the following s a spec fication. p 1 v 1 My invention relates to ra1lway cars and has :particular reference to a novelmeans for sealing the joints between the side walls and floor of acar.

It is desirable that means shouldvbe pro- -vided for obyiating the possibility of escape of fine granular material, and particularly grain, from railway cars and (particularly from the point of thew-side walls and floor thereof. This is particularly necessary in cars in which the side wall is composed of a single thickness of boards placed edge on edge and extending longitudinally of the cars. A rabbeted joint between the side wall and floor is shown in my Patent No. 1,062,701, date May 27, 1913. I have, however, considered it advisable to provide additional means for preventing the escape of grain. The construction which I have illustrated herein is particularly desirable in that no special shapes are required and but very little additional labor is necessary in the installation of the metallic sill.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying the Fowler single sheath type and includes a body bolster 10, side sill 11, side post 12, floor 13 and side wall 14:. The boards composing the side wall are shown as extending longitudinally and being placed "edge 1 on edge. It will be understood, however, that the invention may be applied with facility to other types of sidewalls, such as those in which the boards extend vertically.

In the construction shown, the floor boards 13 and side boards 14 are rabbeted, the end 15 of the floor board terminating substantially in the plane of the inner edge of the rabbet 16 of the side board. In the plane of the-inner edge 16 Iprovide akerf 17. Asa means for lockingthe side and floor boards at their junction and for preventingthe escape of granular material from the car, I

provide an angular member. consisting of a vertical leg 18, the upper portion of which l es in the kerf17, ahorizontal leg 19 which lies on the side sill 11 and a vertical flange 20 which lies alongside the flange of the side sill.

By the use of the construction shown, no

fastening means are necessary for the metalliomember and notwithstanding the lack of fastening means, both the floor and side boards are locked together and to the side sills. This makes for economy in cost of co a -a tio fo s mp c y n app icat n, and for ease in repair of floor or side boards. These advantages are, of course, all subsidiary to the main advantage,that of sure which lies alongside of said frame member,

and'a floor board resting upon said horizontal leg, one end of said floor board underlying the lowermost side board, substantially as described.

2. In a railway car, the combination of a side sill, floor and side boards, said boards being rabbeted and said side board being provided with a kerf in the plane of the end of the floor board, and a metallic angle resting upon and having a portion hooked around said side sill, a leg of said angle projecting into the kerf of said side board, substantially as described.

3. In a railway car, the combination of a side board having a vertical kerf intermediate the edges thereof, a floor board having a notch in its end, the end of the board 1ying in a plane of the said kerf, and an angular member of substantial Z-shape resting upon a frame member of the car underlying said floor board and having a leg projecting into said kerf, substantially as described.

4. In a railway car, the combination of a side sill having a horizontal flange, a side board having a vertical kerf and a floor board rabbeted into said side board, a substantially Z-shaped member having a horizontal leg resting upon said horizontal flange and a vertical leg lying alongside said flange, the other vertical leg of said member projecting into said lrerf, substantially as described.

5. In a railway car, the combination of a side wall, the lower board of which is rabbeted and kerfed in the vertical plane of the rabbet, a floor, the outer edge of which projects into said rabbet, and an angle resting on the side sill member of the car, one leg of the angle being bent at substantially right angles so as to engage and interlock with the inner edge of the side sill, the other leg of the angle projecting up into the said kerf, substantially as described.

6. In a railway car, the combination ofa side wall, the lower board of which is rabbeted and kerfed in the vertical plane of the rabbet, a floor, the outer edge of which projects into said rabbet, and an angle restthe side and floorboards and resting on said sill, one leg of the member projecting vertically upward and another leg projecting vertically downward alongside said sill, said side and floor boards being rabbeted and the ends of the floor boards terminating beneath the side board, substantially as described.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 19th day of May, A. D. 1915. I

WILLIAM E. FOWLER, sR.

Witnesses:

G. F. MURRAY, T. D. BUTLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. I i I 

